


A Little Khaleesi

by Megaddie



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: A Little Princess - Freeform, AU, Aerys killed his whole family except R and D, F/M, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Friendship, R Plus L Does Not Equal J, sort of victorianish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23041921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megaddie/pseuds/Megaddie
Summary: A Little Princess inspired auNot sure if this is even worth doing, but let me know;)
Relationships: Arya Stark & Daenerys Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen & Rhaegar Targaryen, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen, Missandei & Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 22
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Magali_Dragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magali_Dragon/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dany and her older brother Rhaegar arrive in King's Landing to get Dany settled at her new boarding school before Rhaegar goes off to find fortune and glory for the tarnished Targaryean name.

Once on a sweltering hot day, in which the residents of King’s Landing hid inside to try to escape the uncomfortable heat and the children of Flea Bottom raced each other to the lapping tepid waters of the harbor in an attempt to cool down, a man and his 13 year old sister sat in a carriage.

The girl peered out the window through wide eyes, watching the streets pass pay, noting the smells of the city--the stench that came off the refuse piled outside the doorways, the fresher scent of the salty ocean, fishy but somehow not unpleasant, the food as they passed by bakeries, pubs, the smells of an unfamiliar place. She noticed the occasional passerby, the shop windows, the open markets. She took in everything with interest as this was to be her new home, though it didn’t feel like home at all and was nothing at all like the breezy streets of the various places in Essos that she had referred to as “home” her whole life. Nothing except the heat was familiar, and even that was different--more heavy, wetter and more unpleasant, she thought. Nothing, except for her older brother who was her lifeline, her only family and her heart. She leaned into him instinctually, and he patted her arm reassuringly, though his own sad indigo eyes revealed his own feelings of insecurity at the thought of leaving her behind, which would happen soon enough.

“So,” the girl spoke, her voice both quiet and bell-like, “this is King's Landing.” She seemed unimpressed but not unhappy, just matter of fact.

“Yes, Dany,” he said fondly, looking down at her, his little sister, his only living relative, the girl that he had raised from an infant, put into the role of father once again, when he hadn’t even finished grieving his own son and daughter, his wife, his father, his mother, his little brother. He dropped a light kiss on the top of her head. “This is King's Landing. You will be happy here. You will be safe here. And soon enough, I will come back and fetch you and we will have a taste of what was once ours.”

“Because of Valyria,” Dany recited. “Because of what you will find there.” She knew the story. She knew the plan. Rhaegar would travel to the ruins of Valyria, her ancestral homeland and begin the excavations. There were many treasures to be found, secrets uncovered, fortunes to be made. Her family had left Westeros in disgrace, her father having slipped quietly and then not so quietly into madness. And now there was no one left but her and Rhaegar, disgraced siblings of a once great family; siblings that fled to Essos in an attempt to escape their ugly pasts, the memories, the rumors. Rhaegar had told her that he didn’t want her growing up in that shadow...yet, her they were, Dany though helplessly.

“I could come with you,” she said, looking up at him with the lilac hazel eyes of his mother, his baby brother. Her voice shifted, the sadness she hid so well emerging. “ I could help. I can draw, I can fetch things. You will need help; I have always helped, haven’t I?” She hated the sound of pleading in her own voice.

“You have, Dany, but this isn’t about that.” He had explained this many times to her. She held back her tears. “You need to be in school. You need to make connections, make friends. When I come back, with our fortunes even greater, and we’ve uncovered the greatness of the Targaryeans in Valyria, it will be so different. We will have a place here.” He begged her to understand. 

“We have money,” she replied. 

“That is not the issue, you know that,” Rhaegar said gently. The tragic demise of their family had ensured their wealth; it was more their reputation that was demolished….but the discoveries that were hinted at with this excavation site where such that all anyone would talk about for decades was the glory of the fabled Targaryeans and all they had accomplished. It would pave the way for their return to King's Landing, make his reputation, add their names once again to the history books...and for Dany….for his little sister, with her soft beauty and steely courage, her cleverness and kindness, it would mean a good marriage, a family, a real home, respect, admiration--the things that should have been hers by rights. 

She nodded, and rested her head on his shoulders as the carriage stopped in front of the inn where they would be staying while he saw to some things before his journey to Valyria and got her ready to begin at Lannister’s Select Seminary, the boarding school where she would be staying. In truth, she was a bit excited about that. She longed for company, as much as she treasured her brother. By his side, she had learned so many things but she had never had playmates or companions; she was used to intellectuals and scholars, the men and women that Rhaegar had surrounded them with in his pursuit of knowledge of the past and the hope of piecing back together the mysteries of Valyria and of their family legacy.

They entered the inn and went immediately to their rooms, Dany soaking in a hot bath while Rhaegar went out to meet some colleagues to discuss their upcoming venture. Once out of the bath, she tied her long hair into two braids to keep it from tangling and put on her nightdress, a foolish beribboned thing that had cost way more than it was worth in her estimation. But it was pretty and her heart did yearn for pretty things, even when she knew that they didn’t really matter. Essos was filled with beauty, she thought, closing her eyes, thinking of the jade pools, the scent of orange blossoms in the heady air, the small houses lining the hillsides overlooking turquoise swells of water. She was not sure about Kings Landing, it had not seemed an especially beautiful place but she hoped she would find beauty here, nonetheless. She sighed, filled with conflicting emotions, and went to the window, where she could see the school she would attend in the distance. 

It was large, and plain, and did not look like anything special, but it had a good reputation and many of the daughters of good families had attended Lannister’s Select Seminary throughout previous generations. In the dimming light of dusk, she could see a carriage pull up to the door of the school, and the great door, open. A girl, about her own age, with darker skin than anyone she had seen so far in Kings Landing came out and spoke with the coachman, whom she could not see. She could make out her cloud of curls and her faint smile before she ducked back in the door. Dany closed the curtains and picked up a well loved book of tales of Targaryens of old….and drifted to sleep dreaming of dragons and warrior queens, battles and handsome princes. When Rhaegar came in to check on her, she was smiling in her sleep. He touched her check lightly; his business had been arranged and he would spend the next days showing Daenerys around Kings Landing, purchasing her clothing for the year, and getting her settled into her new school. 

He missed his family in a way that Dany could not understand as she had only ever had him, but he was so grateful for his bright young sister with her capricious moods and inquisitive mind. He hoped that he was making the right decision, leaving her behind...but the ruins of Valyria was no place for a young woman and he wouldn’t be able to watch after her or see to her needs. She needed stability and she needed friends, girls her own age that could help her smile and laugh more, parties and dreams about the future. He shut the door quietly and retreated to his room.


	2. Lannister’s Select Seminary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dany meets Miss Lannister and her brother for the first time.

Chapter 2

“Here we are, Dany,” Rhaegar said the next morning, as he escorted her up the short staircase from the street, to the heavy double doors of Lannister’s Select Seminary. 

The doors were painted a bright red and decorated with an ornate brass knocker in the shape of a lion’s roaring head. Ostentatious, Dany thought, just like the shade of red paint for the door. Dany loved colors; they were like poetry to her: the deep emerald greens of the hummingbirds that darted from blossom to blossom, the vibrant fuschia of the hibiscus flowers she loved, the rich turquoise of the ocean waves she watched from the ship on the journey to Westeros….this depthless callow red offended her sensibilities--it was too loud, too bright, not the claret and crimson shades she preferred.

Rhaegar smiled down at her and Dany looked up at him curiously. He was trying to sound carefree, she observed, but he was sad. She touched his elbow; she wanted to comfort him and tell him she would be okay but she was nervous and didn’t know how to feel; would she truly be okay? She thought so, but her confidence was shaky so she gave him a wan smile. Rhaeger let go of the heavy door knocker and they waited. The door opened, and the girl that Dany had spied the night before greeted them, politely, ducking her head down and leading them into a parlor to wait for Miss Lannister, the headmistress of the academy. Dany tried to catch the girl’s eye and smile, but she avoided looking at her.

“Hello, I am Daenerys,” she said boldly as the girl flitted back into the room with a pitcher of water and several glasses. The girl looked up in surprise.

“Oh, hello. I am Missandei. Miss Lannister and her brother will be in shortly,” she replied, nervously. Dany caught her eye and smiled. This girl, Missandei, had a sweetly accented voice and wore a plain dark red dress and a white apron. Her curly halo of hair was held back with a headband and her skin was much darker than Dany’s pale skin. She was thin and looked a bit tired. She looked over her shoulder at Rhaegar n before she spoke.

“Excuse me, Miss, but are you Essosi?”

“Yes, well sort of! Are you, as well? I can tell by your accent,” Dany answered enthusiastically, following Missandei’s eyes towards where Rhaegar was examining portraits on the wall. She could tell the girl was uncomfortable but she smiled and nodded at Dany before she ducked her head and made her way to the doorway again. 

“Thank you, Missandei,” Rhaegar said, startling both girls. “I am sure you and my sister will have much to discuss regarding your travels.” Rhaegar smiled reassuringly at the girl as she quietly shut the door behind her and turned to Dany to say something, but the door opened again and a tall slender woman with masses of golden hair and snapping green eyes strode to the center of the room, followed by a much smaller man, a dwarf. Miss Lannister, Dany presumed, and gazed upon her companion curiously. She had met a few little people in her various homes in Essos; mostly performers and she wondered of his connection to Miss Lannister and why he was there. He was well dressed and looked right at Dany, smiling slightly.

“Rhaegar Targaryen,” she said confidently, holding out her hand for Dany’ brother to kiss. “You are back and have brought your beautiful sister with you...at last. King’s Landing has been poorer without you and yours.” Rhaegar dropped a kiss on her white hand, while Dany watched. She hadn’t realized that her brother knew her new headmistress, but it made sense, she supposed. Her brother had been in his early twenties when her father had had his breakdown and everything was lost. She wondered how he had known her, and if she knew his wife and her goodsister, Elia, and the children, Dany’s own niece and nephew that she had never met as they had died before she was born. Because of her father, their grandfather, and his madness.

“Cersei,” he nodded at her. “Tyrion,” he said, more warmly, smiling at the smaller man, who was pouring himself some water.

“Rhaegar, good to see you. And this...is your sister, Daenerys Stormborn?” Tyrion Lannister said, smiling at Dany, who smiled back at him and nodded.

“Yes, this is Daenerys though most call her Dany. We are pleased to be here, and honored that you have accepted her into this school. She is a keen learner, Cersei, if anything you will need to tear her away from her books and sketchbooks and get her to socialize, to make friends, to be active. She ought to ride her horse, go for walks, sketch out of doors,” Rhaegar said, with pride.

“Well,” Cersei commented, drawing near to Dany and placing her cold hand on Dany’s cheek and then the top of her head, “she is a tiny thing, isn’t she? And quite a beauty.”

Dany shrugged away from Cersei Lannister’s hand. She hated being talked about like she wasn’t in the room, and disliked people mentioning her petite stature...Rhaegar was tall and she wanted to be tall like he was; she wanted a presence in a room, not to be petted like a little lap dog. “Why are my looks important,” she wondered, irritated that this was the first thing her headmistress felt the need to comment on. 

Cersei was correct, however. Dany was, objectively quite pretty. She had the traditional coloring of people with Valyrian descent; clear and bright violet eyes, porcelain skin tinged with a faint flush in the heat, and thick masses of wavy silver-white hair. Dany knew that these features were admired and unusual; people told her enough. She found it annoying that that was what people tended to focus on when they met her, though she was proud to “match” Rhaegar, and was thrilled when he gifted her a small portrait of her mother, and she could see her resemblance to her.

She noticed that Cersei was watching her, and that she had a slight smirk on her face. “I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Lannister, Miss Lannister,” she said, politely. 

“What a polite young lady,” Miss Lannister said, with that same smirking smile. “Well, I have heard how lovely and clever your little sister is. Not a trace of any of her father’s tempermant, I trust?”

Dany looked at her hands, at that. She knew what Miss Lannister was referring to, and while it bothered her, she was used to the hints, the veiled references to her father’s mental state, and to the soundness of her and Rhaegar’s minds. She looked at her brother, curious as to how he would handle the question.

Rhaegar smiled tightly and spoke clearly. “My father was...an ill man. And his illness took everything from us. You know all of this. Everyone does. Daenerys was but a newborn babe when all this occurred and yet it has shadowed her life. It is not fair. I had hoped, in sending her here, that she would be protected and cared for by people who knew...the rest of her family. Who would not judge a daughter based on her father’s deeds...and demons. If that is not the case, than I—“

Dany started at that, hoping maybe there was a different road ahead taking shape, but Tyrion interrupted.

“Rhaegar, please,” he said, kindly, giving a pointed look at his sister, who smiled innocently at him and then examined her nails casually. “It is obvious that you have raised your sister well, and cared for her needs, both emotionally and intellectually. Cersei knows this, don’t you, sweet sister? No one is concerned—“

“I would not say no one,” Cersei replied, “Several parents did send ravens, when news of Daenerys’s admittance reaches them; however, we stand by our name and by our decisions. That’s why I want to make certain-“

Rhaegar had the same grim smile, as he stated, “Daenerys has never indicated and of the...instabilities of our father. She favors our mother in more than just looks. That is all I will say on the matter.”

Cersei nodded, tilting her head, watching Rhaegar and then looked over at Dany, who wanted to disappear into the divan. Tyrion sat back down next to Dany, having risen when addressing her brother. He awkwardly patted Dany’s hand and said, “Such a young lady will be a wonderful asset to our academy and we will make sure she has every success available to her.”

“Very good,” Rhaegar replied, nodding and the tension in the room dissipated as Tyrion attempted to shift the conversation again. The adults sat down while Dany drifted to the large window that looked out on the street, watching the people outside and carriages going by. 

She was a silent observer as Rhaegar, Miss Lannister, and Tyrion discussed the details surrounding Dany’s enrollment and lodging. She was to have her own chambers, sitting room and a maid to help her. It was also decided that she would have a horse to ride, that would be stabled nearby at the adjoining boy’s school that Jamie Lannister, Miss Lannister’s twin ran. For that she was grateful as she had learned to ride during time spent with the Dothraki, when Rhaegar was studying their traditions and it was a favorite past time of hers. She remember, wistfully, her Silver that she had to leave behind when they came to Westeros, a gift from the Dothraki people to Dany when they taught her to ride. She hoped she and Rhaeger would find a horse in the next few days, one that she could connect with as she did Silver, that she could feel was a part of her as they raced through the wind.

Dany’s attention was brought back to the conversation at hand when she realized that Mr. Lannister had come to stand next to her . He rolled his eyes towards his sister as he smiled at Dany and she smiled back. He had an easy, open demeanor and seemed more...authentic than Miss Lannister, she decided. 

“How are you doing after your extensive travels, Miss Targaryean?” he asked, curiously. She peered at him and noticed his eyes were different colors. It could have been off putting, but instead gave him a shrewd look that she liked.

“I am faring well, Mr. Lannister. I am tired and not anxious to be away from my brother, to be honest. But I am excited to be in my homeland and to meet new people and learn new things,” she said to him. 

“Mr. Tyrion is fine to call me, Miss. I hear Mr. Lannister and I think of either my father or my brother.”

“All right then, Mr. Tyrion. I heard you say you run a boy’s academy?” Dany asked, curiously. 

“Oh, no, that is my brother, Mr. Jamie Lannister. I teach at both schools, help with the management, etc. Try to stay out of my sister’s way, really. I look forward to seeing you in the classroom, my dear,” he said, patting her hand gently and then getting up. “Cersei, I am off. I have met and greeted as you required. Please try not to offend anyone while I’m gone. Rhaeger, it was good seeing you here again, I wish you well. We will take good care of Daenerys while you are in Valyria. Good luck in your ventures.” 

Rhaeger looked up from his conversation with Cersei, who looked irritated with her brother. “Thank you, Tyrion. It is good to see you, as well. Good luck in your ventures, as well,” Rhaegar said, and got up as well.

“Well, Miss Lannister, we shall not keep you any longer this day. We have errands to attend to, horses to find, dragons to purchase,” Rhaegar said, smiling fondly at Dany, who was relieved that this meeting would soon be over.

Cersei smiled again, a surface level smile that curved her pretty poppy mouth but did not grace her eyes. Dany watched her play with the jeweled button on her cuff before she commented, “Goodness, dragons, then? Where does one find dragons these days?”

“A toymaker. I want Dany to have something special to remind her of her family, to remind her of who we are while I am gone; of the true history of our family,” Rhaegar replied, meeting Cersei’s eyes. Cersei then peered at Dany condescendingly.

“My. Well, you might find the other students at the school that are Daenerys’s age are a bit beyond playing with toys, but I am sure they will be lovely.”

Dany spoke up. She wasn’t planning on playing with her planned dragons, they were more a symbol of what she had lost, before she was even old enough to understand loss, and what she and Rhaegar hoped to gain. She didn’t care for Miss Lannister’s tone. She was not, Dany decided, a nice person. But she knew Rhaegar felt like this was the best place for her to be. She sighed and straightened her shoulders, speaking clearly, “My dragons are for me and me alone, and they will remind me of why I am here.”

“Targaryen to the bone, aren’t you, my dove,” Cersei said, smiling at Dany.

Dany corrected her, “I’m a dragon, not a dove, Miss Lannister.”

Cersei laughed at that, and replied, “Indeed. Daenerys, Rhaegar, it was a pleasure. I know you will be happy at Lannister’s; many generations of fine young ladies have graced these rooms.”

Rhaegar smiled awkwardly, and put his arm around Dany. “Thank you and we will return on the date specified for Dany to start her new life at your school.” 

Missandei met them at the door, and showed them out through the front hallway. Girls in pairs, wearing matching dresses filed in through the front door, on their way to the staircase at the end of the hall. Dany watched them with wide eyes, wondering if there were potential friends amongst these strange girls, who all stared at her in curiosity. One was a pretty redhead, tall and slender and the other a brunette, with slow sweet curls trickling down her shoulders. Dany offered a faint smile as the last of the pairs went up the staircase, and Dany could hear whispering and giggling that slowly faded away.

Rhaegar led Dany out the door, and onto the streets of King’s Landing. 

“I don’t like her,” Dany said to Rhaegar.

No, no I don’t suppose you do,” Rhaegar replied, leading Dany down the street.

“But I dare say I will meet a lot of people I don’t like here,” she continued.

Rhaegar sighed, “It’s possible, my sweet Dany. We’ve been amongst a different type of-“

“It’s no matter, Rhae. I’ve learned from you and from your friends. If I can sit calmly at a Dothraki wedding, if I can watch a girl my own age, large with child, eat a raw horse’s heart and not flinch, then I can attend this school and endure the likes of Miss Lannister, right?”

Rhaegar laughed, and warmly regarded his baby sister. She had tilted her chin up, and spoke in a steely tone that indicates her resolve. She was often an observer of foreign cultures, and strange practices and never disappointed him or brought him shame as he did his university work, traveling through Essos and meeting many different types of people. 

“You make me proud, Dany. How I will miss you, my girl,” he said to her and she nodded, a tear slipping own her cheek. His pride in her meant everything to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sure if my writing is super boring here or not. You can let me know if it is too dry, I guess....I am also attempting to imply that R was some sort of anthropologist/ archaeologist...is that coming across? If anyone would be willing to look at my chapters before I post them, I would be greatly indebted. I am an English teacher, so I can offer return services, particularly when summer comes, and I have lots of time on my hands;)


End file.
